An incumbent who spent more than 30 years in the paper industry and a newcomer who works as a theater producer and firefighter are competing to represent parts of northern Somerset County in the Maine House.

Republican incumbent Larry Dunphy, 62, of Embden, faces Democrat Matthew Quinn, 35, of Cornville, in the race for House District 118. The district includes Athens, Bingham, Cornville, Embden, Jackman, Moscow, The Forks and 15 other communities.

Dunphy, who has served two terms in the Legislature and spent most of his career working as a production supervisor at Madison Paper Industries, said he hopes to continue serving on the legislative Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee and address welfare reform if elected.

Quinn, a 2009 graduate of the University of Maine at Augusta and technical director at Lakewood Theater in Madison, said the economy and job market are among issues he would like to address if elected.

“I think we have to get creative in the direction the state of Maine is going to go in finding jobs, because I personally don’t think that the shoe shops and paper companies are coming back,” Quinn said. “We have to look for other things to keep people here and keep them employed.”

Both candidates agreed that the state needs to explore more alternative energy sources — including wind power — and invest in natural gas. The district is the site of a proposed 62-turbine wind farm that was approved recently by the state Department of Environmental Protection and that has provoked some backlash from residents concerned with the effect of the wind farm on the area’s scenic quality and environment.

Dunphy, who sponsored a bill that would have put greater restrictions on the development of wind farms in rural areas last year, said he thinks the state should explore more sources of renewable energy, including solar and tidal energy, and should look closely at the effect of such projects, including the motivation of special-interest groups and large companies that support them.

“My feeling on wind is this: If it is economically feasible, if it lowers the energy costs in the state of Maine, if it’s not doing environmental damage and if it’s not hindering people’s use or enjoyment of their land, then I’m OK with wind,” Dunphy said.

Quinn, a former school board member in Skowhegan-based SAD54, said he is willing to take a look at a variety of alternative energy sources.

“I have all the faith in the world that we do have a dependence on oil that we need to get off of,” Quinn said. “We need to look into alternative energy programs, whether it is solar, geothermal or wind. Whether or not wind is the answer, I don’t know, but it bears exploring.”

Dunphy, who describes himself as a “very conservative Republican,” said the state also has to address welfare reform in the upcoming session, specifically the abuse of electronic benefits cards, which provide what was once known as food stamps. In May the state blocked the use of the cards at dozens of ATMs around the state as part of a crackdown led by Gov. Paul LePage to address welfare abuse.

“I understand and fully agree with the moral and ethical commitments to take care of people who need it, and I’m on board with that, but I think there’s a frivolous misuse of the system,” he said. “We’re asking hardworking Mainers to pay for social programs, for tattoos, alcohol and body piercings with this cash side of EBT.”

Quinn, meanwhile, said while there is inevitable abuse of many government programs, the number of people abusing the EBT program has been exaggerated in the public eye.

“I don’t think it’s as rampant as people believe it is,” he said. “I think that if we really want to look at the abuses, I think corporate abuses are much higher.”

Both candidates are lifelong residents of Somerset County. A former ski coach at Carrabec High School, Dunphy has been married to his wife, Cynthia, for 41 years. They have three children and nine grandchildren. He previously represented District 88 before the districts were reorganized last year.

Quinn enjoys woodworking in his spare time. He also is a volunteer firefighter in Cornville and is a lieutenant in the Skowhegan Fire Department. He is not married and has no children.

If elected, he said, he also would like to work on forging better bipartisan relationships in the Legislature.

“I think one of the things I would push for is more compromise in the Legislature,” said Quinn, who describes himself as a conservative Democrat. “I think it’s a problem on both sides, that we continually elect the most left- and right-leaning candidates, and then we get gridlocked in.”

Rachel Ohm — 612-2368

rohm@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @rachel_ohm